Interview with mystery author Colleen McMillan

Today’s special guest is mystery novelist Colleen McMillan and we’re chatting about The Falls.

During her virtual book tour, Colleen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Colleen. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Born and raised in Minnesota, my writing focuses on the Midwestern United States. I’ve been a writer since I could pick up a crayon, pencil, or pen; there are more than a few stories about my macabre grade school writing interests, to which I just shrug. You can’t blame a second grader for wanting to set a scary scene!

I attended the University of Wisconsin, River Falls for my undergraduate degree and completed my asmter’s degree in creative writing at the University of Kent, Canterbury, in the UK. For my dissertation research and inspiration, I lived in Canterbury, Paris, and Edinburgh. Paris is my second home and favorite city, so don’t be surprised if it turns up in my work.

My two most influential authors are Stephen King and Flannery O’Connor, and my dream is to establish a Midwest Gothic tradition.

I currently live in Minnesota with my jerk of a cat, Duncan. I love living in the most beautiful state in the country, but I always feel Europe’s pull…

Please tell us about your current release.
This novel is a mystery novel with hints of horror. Set in a small Midwestern town, the wide cast of characters were crawling with secrets, fraught relationships, and shady doings. There are many point-of-views shifts in the novel, unreliable narrators, plenty of villains hiding in the idyllic town.

What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve been working on this world since my undergrad, writing short stories set in the town of Sterling Falls. My inspirations were Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, Stephen King, and Flannery O’Connor. I wanted to delve into a kind of Midwestern Gothic genre, see where it took me. There’s plenty of dark secrets in the Midwest!

Excerpt from The Falls:
Fog seeps across Little Sterling Lake, layer upon misty layer, covering the ground. Trees resemble twisted wizards, their branches corkscrewing from their trunks, their leaves like straining fingers. The fog winds its way through the trees and across the decaying body of Cathy Forester, caressing her remaining limbs. The girl’s expressionless face is strewn with leaves and dried blood. Something has been eating her, having torn into her midsection. The arm that was severed is gone, dragged off into the dark, and her clothing is ragged. No one will ever find her.

The fog muffles sound as well as sight, but there are things to hear this morning: alarm clocks being ignored by frightened parents, Tom Ruck’s dog padding nervously around his doghouse, car engines muttering in the sheriff’s station parking lot.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’ve been planning a YA novel, perhaps a series. Bit of fantasy, bit of science fiction. Lots of teen angst. That is probably where I’ll go next, although I have an idea for the prequel and sequel to The Falls. It’s technically a sequel to one of my other ideas, so I might start on that next as well. I have a lot of choices!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I first considered myself an “actual” writer when I graduated undergrad. I sent out a huge pile of short stories to different literary magazines and got a huge pile of rejection letters. Except one. My first published work was a short story from the world of Sterling Falls. I even got paid for it! That’s when I thought I could call myself a writer. Now, however, my idea of what makes a writer is different. If you write, then you’re a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full time, alas. I would love to, but I also need to make money. I am a practice coordinator for a financial planner, which means I take care of his schedule, paperwork, talk to clients. I enjoy it, but writing is my true passion. I try to write as much as possible, which can be hard with a full time job and my extrovert schedule. I usually write at least one thing a day, sometimes just a sentence. Sometimes, I can write twenty pages in an afternoon. Just have to keep writing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like having ambient noise when I write. If I’m at home, I have music playing. Different playlists for whatever I’m working on. I also LOVE writing in public. Overhearing conversations has led to some great dialogue and character interactions.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
At first, a marine biologist. After second grade, a writer.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m a massive geek. I love fantasy, science fiction, all of it. Star Wars? I host two podcasts on it. Harry Potter? I have a framed photo of me at King’s Cross. At age 38. Anime? Heck yes. Manga/anime writers have such unique storytelling and character choices. Be unapologetic about the things you love. Life is too short not to read or watch what you want.

Links:
Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Thank you for being here today, Colleen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway